Key events
Good morning, it’s Nick Visser here again to take you through the morning’s news. Let’s get to it.
Kelly Burke
Allan said that ignoring such messaging normalised hostility, adding that she wanted her son and daughter to grow up in a world where public service did not subject women to gendered degradation.
When grilled by Sarah Ferguson over the criminal infiltration of the Construction Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) into Victoria’s infrastructure projects, a portfolio Allan managed directly prior to becoming premier, she disputed the figure reported by Rotting from the Top that estimated systemic corruption and inflated procurement costs had cost Victorian taxpayers $15bn.
But she did not clarify whether she or her department had requested an official calculation of the true taxpayer cost, instead saying that 88 criminal charges had been laid by Victoria police and about 150 construction industry licenses had been cancelled by the Labor Hire.
Kelly Burke
Jacinta Allan pressed on collapse in Labor’s support
In a bruising interview on ABC’s 7.30 last night, Victorian premier Jacinta Allan grappled to answer questions about the collapse in Labor’s support and allegations of escalating multi-billion-dollar union corruption, just five months out from the state election.
A new poll released last week showed Labor trailing in third place on primary votes at just 21%, behind the Coalition and a surging One Nation. With her personal net approval rating sitting at an all time low, Allan upped the government’s ante on working from home, saying it was a human right.
She said a state consultation survey of 37,000 people found that “thousands and thousands” had said their work-from-home requests had been denied by their bosses.
The premier also addressed the appearance of mobile billboards driving through Melbourne depicting her in AI-generated images wearing a black witch’s hat alongside the slogan “Ditch the Witch” – a revival of the phrase used against former prime minister Julia Gillard. The $105,000 campaign was funded by a group of local business owners, including Franco Puleo, the owner of the Gotham City brothel in South Melbourne.
Allan linked the extreme political rhetoric to the physical safety of female politicians.
“There is absolutely no place for gendered attacks on any woman in any workplace. You have to take a stand. You have to call this out.”
Pauline Hanson to address National Press Club for first time in her political career
Pauline Hanson will address the National Press Club in Canberra for the first time in her three decades in politics today.
Monash University’s head of politics Zareh Ghazarian said Hanson’s address should give an overview of what her party would be like, in addition to its broad policies and aspirations.
“One Nation is at a transition point from being a minor anti-establishment party to potentially being on the cusp of a major political breakthrough,” he told AAP.
“There’s a lot riding on this speech. It’s going to be closely watched by media, but a lot of other Australians as well as the political parties.
“Hanson has to perform well to convince those on the fence, that her party and leadership is something to get behind.”
Consistent polling has shown One Nation has become Australia’s most popular political party, and has a substantial lead over the Coalition on primary voting indication.
Polls show Hanson is also now the preferred prime minister.
US military stockpile to be kept in Melbourne then moved to rural Victoria, report says
The Australian stockpile, expected to reach full capacity by 2028, will be kept in Melbourne before being moved to US warehouses to be constructed next year at an Australian military base at Bandiana in rural Victoria, tender documents show, according to AFP.
“Marine Corps activities in Australia support integrated global sustainment by maintaining ready-for-issue equipment and supplies for operations and exercises across the Indo-Pacific,” a US Marine Corps spokesperson told AFP.
The spokesperson declined to comment on contract details or force planning assumptions but said Marines equipment is kept at “high readiness”.
Contracting arrangements and the operation of the facility would be made in close coordination with Australia’s Department of Defence.
“These activities improve responsiveness, strengthen interoperability with allies and partners, and support a range of missions across the Indo-Pacific,” the spokesperson said, using an alternative description for the Asia-Pacific region.
US army trucks were left at the Bandiana base in 2023 after an Australian war game involving US troops held every two years. The marines stockpile at Bandiana, approved last July, is separate.
“Marine Corps and Army equipment programmes are designed to support their respective service requirements and are managed under separate authorities and processes,” the marines spokesperson said.
US military plans war-ready weapons stockpile in Victoria – report
The US military is planning a permanent war-ready weapons stockpile for its Marine Corps in Victoria beyond the range of most Chinese missiles, tender documents show according to Agence France-Presse.
The development of the stockpile, a first for the Marine Corps in Australia, comes as the United States is keen to leverage the continent’s strategic location in the South Pacific to counter China’s rapid military build-up, analysts said.
The US Marine Corps began global prepositioning of military supplies during the Cold War – using floating stores on ships and caves in Norway where weapons, ammunition and vehicles to sustain thousands of troops are kept.
The first land stockpile in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to open this year in the Philippines, close to potential flashpoints in the South China Sea.
Documents published by the US Navy this month show advanced planning for an even larger Australian stockpile, with US$30m allocated to build warehouses and offices in Victoria for “critical forward provisioning”.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be Nick Visser with the main action.
The US military is planning a permanent war-ready weapons stockpile for its Marine Corps in Victoria beyond the range of most Chinese missiles, tender documents show according to reports this morning.
Victorian premier Jacinta Allan was given a tough grilling on ABC’s 7.30 last night when she struggled to answer questions about the collapse in Labor’s support and allegations of union corruption. More coming up.
And One Nation founder Pauline Hanson will address the National Press Club in Canberra today for the first time in her three decades in politics, as her party hits record poll highs.
